Easter Morning Prayer

 Faith  No Responses »
Apr 062012
 

Easter Morning Prayer

Rev. Paul Tche, Middletown Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

April 6, 2012

 

The very first Easter morning began with darkness:

the darkness of the day;

the darkness of our soul;

the darkness of our brokenness;

the darkness of our loneliness;

the darkness of our loss;

the darkness of our economic oppression;

the darkness of our hatred;

the darkness of our betrayal;

and the darkness of our desperation.

 

However, you, O God of light, never allowed us to stay in the dark.

Through the story of Jesus’ resurrection,

you have brought the light of new life to our wounded life.

The story of resurrection is the story about your love for every single one of us:

It is the story that is painful yet beautiful;

and that is expensive yet available to each one of us.

It is the most stunning story of love that breaks through our darkness and lights up our life.

It is the story that when we hid in the darkness,

you found us and called every single one of us by our first name.

 

This morning, as the sun has risen up high,

and as we gather here to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus

whom we confess Christ,

let us come out of our own dark tomb,

and see the ray of hope in the empty tomb of your son, Jesus Christ.

And let us be the light to the people who are still weeping in the dark.

 

God in Community, Holy in One,

very early on this first day of the week,

as we do on every day of our lives,

we lift our prayers as Jesus has taught us,

 

Our Father . . .

 Posted by at 11:33 am

Good Friday Reflection: Remembering Christ on the Cross and Trayvon Martin

 Faith  No Responses »
Apr 042012
 

Good Friday Reflection
Luke 23:32-38
Remembering Christ on the Cross and Trayvon Martin
Rev. Paul Tche, Middletown Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

In the dark, on a rainy day, we saw a hooded boy wondering around our neighborhood. He was very, very suspicious. We thought that he wasn’t dressed right for the neighborhood; that his skin wasn’t the right color; that he didn’t have the right to be here; and that it wasn’t the right time of day to be out after all. It was getting dark, and it was rainy. So, we chased down that boy. We thought that it was the right thing to do. Surely, we have the right to protect our neighborhood. Any kind of threats should be dealt with!

When we got close to that boy, he came toward us. We thought he would run away, but rather, he turned and walked toward us. O what a great deal of fear that caused! We have learned that the only way to suppress fear was to confront fear with something stronger than fear. So, we shot the boy.

After a couple of minutes of oppressive, fearful silence, we finally saw the face of the boy. O Jesus Christ, it was you! Why did you come toward us? You could leave us alone. You didn’t have to interfere in our life at all. Yes, if you didn’t come toward us, we didn’t have to be intimated by your divine presence, even fearful of your presence. O Jesus, it was our self defense mechanism that killed you on the cross. That is our excuse. So, O Jesus, please tell us it was the right thing to do. Wasn’t it the right thing to do?

At every moment when you were facing your death, we thought that you would vindicate yourself, if you were right about yourself. “You are the righteous one. Aren’t you? You are the innocent one. What evil have you done? If you have done nothing to deserve death, you should not be silent. So go ahead. If you are right, then vindicate yourself!”

Then, we heard you crying out through the voice of the Psalmist:

But I am a worm, and not human;
scorned by others, and despised by the people,
All who see me mock at me;
they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;
“Commit your cause to the LORD; let him deliver—
let him rescue the one in whom he delights!” (Psalms 21:6-8, NRSV)

You knew, when we chased you down in the dark with fear about being right, you would be killed by our righteousness. Is that why you talked to God and not to us at that moment? Is that why you plea to God, not to us?

You knew that we are blind and deaf by our own righteousness. So, on behalf of us, you asked God for forgiveness for us. You said it in a low voice, though. “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” Still, however, we are dividing your clothes among ourselves and casting lots to decide who will take your hooded T-shirt.

 Posted by at 2:47 pm

Voice from the Invisible…

 Personal, Uncategorized  No Responses »
Feb 262012
 

This morning, the Courier-Journal reprinted the column about the phenomenon called “Linsanity” and America’s racism tolerance, which encouraged me to voice my own experiences as an Asian minister who is working at a Caucasian-dominated protestant congregation here in Louisville.

While no one around me has ever taken any kind of action purely motivated in racism, there is a certain mindset toward an Asian in our culture that I call invisible contempt. In fact, this morning’s column on the paper rightly points out that we, including Asians, have tolerated what should not be tolerated regarding racism toward Asians. There are certain stereotypes of Asian-Americans among us, and as the column says, it is also Asians who don’t often vocalize their concerns, and it is people who take advantage of the Asian non-confrontational spirit.

Unfortunately, I have suffered from the same stereotypes that many people in the main society have shared for a long time, and on many people’s mind, that racism is just related to racial hatred, not the assumptions that we have toward any race in particular. I would like to clearly say that it would be racism, if you take an action to, or make comments about, other ethnic people solely based on your assumptions about them that you have had or picked up at some point in your life.

When I started my work as a minister in my congregation, there were a couple of people who criticized me for not being relational. Of course, I didn’t excuse myself for that kind of action. It was unacceptable as a minister who should be more relational than any other. But those criticisms repeated over and over again. One of the persons even told me my way would work in South Korea but not in here. He even asked me to be like himself or other normal people. Finally, I asked one person what is relational and how I should be. What I learned from the conversation with her was that we had a totally different approach to being relational. Later, people understood and recognized my way of building relationships, which is not necessarily an Asian way, and realized it could be another way to have great relationships. Have I changed the way I establish my relationships? Not so much. The problem was they criticized me based on who they thought I was as an Asian.

When someone called me a smart kid, I just laughed at him, which I regret now. It wasn’t a real compliment. He said that in a dismissive way, and he wasn’t the only one who has made similar comments in the same kind of way. There are people who always think of Asians as smart ones but consciously believe, or unconsciously assume, that Asian-Americans never fully understand this mainline culture. Those people have a tendency to teach Asian-Americans, saying or thinking secretly, that other ethnic groups will be complete as a member of American society only when they learn American ways and actions.

My congregation is very welcoming and very inclusive. But one comment that I heard from one of my congregants who is homosexual has haunted me. “I am not here as a gay person. I am here as a human being.” Why is it so hard to treat each other as human beings without ethnic tags?

 Posted by at 10:39 am

Definition

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Feb 252012
 

Life is too complicated to define. However, we do that at every moment of our life. That is just our tendency. And by putting everything in a perspective we are able to communicate with each other.

The problem though we totally forget the fact why we sometimes define life. Why do we do that? The sole purpose of that is to communicate and indicate a certain phenomenon of life. But there are always people that believes they have better definition of life. Let me tell you this: once you believe that, you are the one who know life least.

It doesn’t matter if you are conservative or liberal. It doesn’t matter if you are well educated or not. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor.

 Posted by at 12:21 am

Planning for Grace

 Faith, Quotes  No Responses »
Sep 092011
 

John Henry Newman, the recently beatified English cardinal, said that the church is shaped by the dynamic interaction of the three elements: worship, theological reflection and institutional governance. As he saw it, these three activities work in creative tension. left to themselves, each sphere becomes corrupted: worship tends toward “superstition and enthusiasm,” theology towards “rationalism,” and governance toward “ambition, craft and cruelty.”

Those churchly iniquities are common enough. Those who walk away from church might be categorized according to one would be them most: the rigidity or chaos of the liturgy, the sterility of the theology or the character flaws of the leaders.

Yet Newman’s scheme omits one element that is crucial in the life of the church: people skilled in the everyday practices of faith. If a church it does not form people who believe in Christ and display some measure of forgiveness, compassion, hospitality, care for the Earth, solidarity with those who suffer and the perseverance in distress, then no liturgy or theology, however rich, and no governance system, however inspired, will save the church.

…

Christian formation is an art, not a science, and the result is always bound up in the mystery of grace.

the Christian Century, September 6, 2011

 Posted by at 4:46 pm  Tagged with:

When We Need to “Push”

 Faith  No Responses »
Jun 272011
 

When my wife, Deniese, was having her babies there came a time when the doctor said, “Push!” What this meant was that the nine month blessing and ordeal was about to come to an end. Within minutes there would be a new life and that new life would be hers, ours and Gods!

There are still other times in life when we need to “push.” We need to push for justice when we experience injustice. We need to push for equal treatment when we experience wrongs. To let injustice, inequalities, and wrongs prevail and do nothing about them is out-and-out sin. And it is not only the wrongs we experience that need to be righted, but the wrongs experienced by others.

This is why the life of a believer is always lived on the cutting edge, that place where yesterday meets today and today meets tomorrow. You might even say that there is a primal urge that pushes yesterday forward to today and today to tomorrow. We do not usually notice the movement that is going on as a new day is being birthed, but we do recognize that without “push” nothing will ever evolve.

The other day I heard the story about the man who was asleep in his cabin one night when suddenly his room filled with light and God appeared. God told the man that there was work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of the cabin. God explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.

This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling as though his whole day had been spent in vain. He began thinking, “You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn’t budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it.” Convincing himself that the task was impossible, the man became discouraged and disheartened. He decided to just put in his time giving the minimum effort.

But for some reason, a reason only known to God, the man began to pray. He said, “I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?”

The Lord responded compassionately and with wisdom, “My friend, when long ago I asked you to serve me and you accepted I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me, your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become powerful. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Still, you haven’t moved the rock. Your calling was to be obedient, to push and to exercise your faith, this you have done. Now, I will move the rock!

Congregations, pastors, and leaders in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) – God calls us, just like the man in the story, to “push!” God will take care of the rest. Let’s be in a conversation with one another about what is worth pushing so we can make our congregations, communities, and world a better place for all God’s people.

Pushing-ly yours,

Ron Degges

* I love Ron Degges’ Email. He knows what is the core of our ministry and also our life. I just wanted to share with you all. If you want to receive his email newsletter, please visit http://www.discipleshomemissions.org/

 Posted by at 4:37 pm  Tagged with: , ,

Reality

 Faith  No Responses »
Jun 022011
 

Reality is what we name our best interpretation. Truth is the reality we know through our best interpretation. reality is constituted, not created or simply found, through the interpretations that have earned the right to be called relatively adequate or true … Reality is neither out there nor in here. Reality is constituted through the interaction between a text, whether book or world, and a questioning interpreter.

David Tracey, Plurality and Ambiguity: Hermeneutics, Religion, Hope, University Of Chicago Press, 1994, page 48

God is the Ultimate Reality. We say that at least. But as David Tracey rightly points out, God is the Reality based on our interpretation of what we experience with God. I say we because our faith is not out of a certain individual’s interpretation but came from collective interpretation of a faith community or communities. (If it is based on one person’s experience, it is likely to be a cult.)

It is true that God exists as the Reality. But it is not true that there is only one way to interpret that reality.

 Posted by at 10:41 am  Tagged with: , ,

Kimchi Chronicles: New Series on PBS

 Korea  1 Response »
May 072011
 

Kimchi represents the Korean cuisine. Kimchi itself is a perfect dish but has also applied for various dishes. There are all kind of kimchi soups and stews, kimchi noodle, kimchi joen (Korean version of pizza), kimchi chim (steamed kimchi), and even kimchi burger. Yeah, it is fair to say that every Korean dish starts with kimchi.

 Posted by at 6:00 pm  Tagged with: , , ,

Easter Prayer

 prayer  No Responses »
Apr 222011
 

It was early this morning, O God,
that we went to the tomb where your son was buried…
We wanted to see his face one more time;
the face that was peace with you and us
even after his violent death.
We thought we were not worthy to see his face.
We wanted to believe
that it was injustice of this society that killed him.
But we are the society that led him to that tragic death.
We are the ones
that disfigured his peaceful face with selfishness, greed, poverty, and war.
Yes, we are the ones who failed him.

So, O God, it wasn’t easy;
it wasn’t easy to come out of the darkness in this morning…
We were in fear and wanted to turn around and go back to the place where we were.
Even though the place is under the shadow of the darkness,
our old self, which made comfortable with fear, shame, disappointment, frustration and anger in ourselves,
dragged us to stay in the darkness.

But we are here, O God, in front of your son’s tomb…
What we hear from an angel is
that Jesus is going ahead of us to the place where we are still struggling with our life
and where we failed him
and that he wants to meet us there.
What we hear is that Jesus who was raised from the darkness,
once again, steps into our life:
the life of the people in Haiti, Japan, Chile, and New Zealand;
the life of the people who lost their families and friends;
the life of the people who cannot share your table with us;
and the life of the people who became outcasts from this society.

If Jesus is once again in the midst of our life,
where can we turn around, hide, and flee from him?
How can we deny him again?

So, O God, we pray in this glorious morning,
let us become what you would have us become:
people of compassion and love;
people of justice and peace;
people of comfort and solace;
and people of forgiveness and second chances.

As we celebrate a new life in the resurrected Jesus, O God,
illuminate our hearts; illuminate our minds; and illuminate our souls
so that we can see the risen Lord
within us and among us right now.

This morning, in front of your son’s empty tomb,
we bring our prayer to you
as Jesus has taught us, saying,
Our Father…

 

 

Seung (Paul) Tche, Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011

 Posted by at 4:32 pm  Tagged with: ,

Two Cellos Solo: Smooth Criminals

 Music  No Responses »
Apr 202011
 

Their playing is awesome! Perfect reinterpretation of the original song, I think.

As a kid who grew up in 80′s, I sometime miss Michael! But one thing is sure for me is that he will live forever and come back anytime to us in any form of music.

 Posted by at 11:50 am  Tagged with: , ,
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